ESPN’s Adam Schefter has commemorated the loss of one of his dogs, 15-year-old labradoodle Benny, who died on Wednesday morning.
Schefter posted a long tribute to Benny, revealing his cancer diagnosis from last year and that he was set to be put down on Wednesday morning but passed away in his sleep overnight instead.
Schefter has four other dogs, Ella, Bailey, Apple, and Brady, all labradoodles.
Several years ago was Benny’s first cancer diagnosis and he went into remission after doctors removed one of his kidneys.
After an injury that occurred last February, doctors revealed to Schefter that Benny had torn his ACL, had liver cancer, and had other masses that spread to his lungs all at once.
He was given two to three months to live and persevered for nearly a year.
Adam Schefter has commemorated the loss of one of his dogs, 15-year-old labradoodle Benny
Schefter revealed Benny’s long health journey and his battle with liver cancer since February
Schefter has four dogs to grieve with – Ella, Bailey, Apple, and Brady, who are also labradoodles
‘This was a day we knew was coming since last February, and yet there still is an overwhelming sense of sadness,’ Schefter said on social media. ‘We had planned to put down our beloved Benny, who was our baby for over 15 years. He had liver cancer that had spread, he could barely stand anymore, and he stopped eating.’
‘We scheduled a vet to come to our house at 11 am today, and spent all of Monday and Tuesday crying over, and with, Benny. And then, when we woke this morning for the day we dreaded, Benny was gone. He died in his sleep. We are in shock.’
‘Our life revolves around our family, our dogs and, for better or worse, my work. But unlike our family or my work, dogs never give us any aggravation — only love and loyalty. Benny was one of our five labradoodles; but he truly was one of one.’
‘He wasn’t a good boy; he was the best boy — and we told that to him regularly. Benny never bit anyone, never attacked one of our other dogs when they attacked him, he was such a gentle boy. One time when he was a puppy, he did jump out of out of the window of a moving car to chase after a pitbull before my wife had to pull over and chase him down. But aside from that, Benny gave us zero problems — except for his health.’
Benny’s death is not the first canine tribute from an ESPN analyst in recent months.
Kirk Herbstreit’s 10-year-old golden retriever, who frequently accompanied him on the road during his assignments, passed away in November after a battle with leukemia.
Schefter revealed he confided in another late ESPN colleague to help with Benny’s imminent walk across the rainbow bridge.
Benny’s tragic death is not the first canine tribute from an ESPN analyst in recent months
‘I remember the next week calling my dear friend Chris Mortensen because he was one of the only close friends I had who understood what it was like to love and lose animals,’ Schefter continued.
‘I cried to Mort, and listened to him talk about how much our pets mean to us. He did his best to pick me up, and he did briefly — until I got a call a few days later that we lost Mort, too. My last conversation with Mort was all about Benny; now both are gone.’
‘From the moment we were told that Benny had two to three months to live, I counted each time we passed the 23rd day of a month as another win for Benny. He stacked up wins when they weren’t expected, in July and August and September, until he got to another winter he wasn’t supposed to.’
‘There’s a video we posted on our dogs’ Instagram account from Sept. 29, when Benny jumped up and took away our daughter’s pizza, refusing to give it up. His energy and fight for someone fighting such an insidious disease was so impressive. But his decline from that day on, when cancer ravaged his body, was fierce.’
